The project “Agricultural Skills Go Sustainable” (AgriSkills) is based on several local, regional, national, and European discussions and development processes:•The ongoing structural change in agriculture, which requires new training forms,•a criticism of current education coupled with the demand for a stronger orientation of vocational training towards sustainable development and organic agriculture,•a European discussion concerning professional and personal skills as well as their transparency and implementation in national education systems, and •a demand for more mobility that can enable students to acquire European skills. The goal of the project was to develop and test an educational package that meets the requirements for vocational education in the field of sustainable development in agriculture and can be applied in different countries with quite different vocational education systems (for the time being Germany, Spain, and Bulgaria).Using the practical and theoretical findings, the participating stakeholders have qualified and will continue to qualify discussions concerning the development of vocational education aimed at sustainability at the local, regional, national, and European levels.The “Educational Package AgriSkills – Vocational Education for Sustainable Development (BBNE)” is comprised of a one-week educational package dealing with the subject of the sustainable production of beef cattle and fattening pigs with a focus on animal husbandry, feeding, and marketing while taking into account their economic, ecological, and social dimensions. In addition to professional skills, necessary personal and social skills, networked thinking, responsibility, and teamwork that are particularly important aspects of sustainable education are also imparted.The strategic partnership included three trade unions, three educational institutions, a chamber of agriculture, and an organic farm, and together they developed the educational package. One to three individuals from each establishment were involved in the process. The educational package consists of five high-value products:•Instructor Guide•Educational Programme (teaching materials)•Open-license learning software•Practical Test Analysis•Supporting Arguments for Social PartnersAll of these products are available at http://agriskills.eu – some of them are available in printed form.The educational package was tested in all three partner countries. Fifteen young employees and/or students, most coming from the agricultural field, participated in three one-week test runs.The project can be broken down into five work stages:•the development of the educational package •the testing of the educational package•the implementation and evaluation of the practical tests as well as the modification of the educational package•dissemination•reporting Six cross-border meetings were held and varying distribution activities were carried out over the course of the project’s duration.The products are to be implemented at various levels. The Instructor Guide, the Educational Programme (teaching materials), learning software, and Practical Test Analysis will be applied at the local and regional levels in schools and other educational institutions as well as during hands-on training and in discussions of educational policy. The participating partners (educational institutions, chambers) will continue to use the package and disseminate it among their contacts. The Supporting Arguments for Social Partners will gain a wider distribution in educational policy discussions at the regional, national, and European levels where, together with the practical experiences from the educational package, they are intended to qualify these discussions.In the mid-term, the products developed as a part of AgriSkills will represent an important contribution to educational policy discussions at the national and local levels concerning vocational education for sustainable development.

People with special needs are in danger of segregation and their chances in the labour market are very limited. Promoting their professional inclusion is of the utmost significance, as it provides realization, autonomy, inclusion and a better quality of life.In this context, farming appears as a good niche for their inclusion, as long as the right kind of training contents, methods and qualified professionals are put into it. Contextual factors such as the environmental and the rural areas crisis, open new opportunities for an active participation of these social groups in the Green Farming Sectors. Providing more employment opportunities than conventional farming, while generating positive environmental impacts, Green Farming Sectors show a great potential for the training and socio-professional inclusion of persons with special needs.However, for this to become a reality, proper training is needed. Responding to this need, AGROINCLUSION pursues as a central goal:- To improve the quality and adaptability of vocational training, training methods, materials and curricula for persons with special needs, for the enhancement of their skills and of their opportunities for socio-professional inclusion in the Green Farming Sectors.And the following specific goals:- To set up a synergic transnational partnership between different organizations providing vocational training or work for the socio-professional inclusion of persons with special needs in the Green Farming Sectors.- To exchange and to explore good practices, real experiences, methods, tools, training programs, etc., in the fields of VET and the inclusion of these social groups in the Green Farming Sectors, that can be replicated in other territories.- To identify and compile needs and good practices that should be implemented in practice in order to improve the training and socio-professional integration of persons with special needs in the Green Farming Sectors (including successful reduced dual training systems).- To bring sustainability concepts to these social groups.To achieve these goals, the project brings together 7 organizations (6 countries) experienced in VET and socio-professional inclusion of persons with special needs in the Green Farming Sectors, to share and exchange knowledge, experiences and best practices.The project work plan is centred in the implementation of Workshops for the transfer of good practices and innovative approaches related to:- Training materials and methods related to technical aspects of the Green Farming Sectors adapted to people with special needs.- Vocational Educational systems: Dual training systems adapted to these social groups.These workshops are mostly addressed to trainers/workers engaged in training and socio-professional inclusion of persons with special needs, and VET trainers/workers related to the Green Farming Sectors, which are the project main target group.The project will produce the following results:-Strengthened cooperation and knowledge exchange between organizations experienced in VET and organizations providing training and socio-professional inclusion for persons with special needs in the Green Farming Sectors.-Improved competences of participants through the exchange of experiences and best practices and the acquisition of knowledge on a diversity of tools, methods, approaches, etc., for the training and professional inclusion of these social groups in the Green Farming Sectors. -Transfer and adoption of best practices and emergence of innovative approaches supporting the socio-professional inclusion of persons with special needs in the Green Farming Sectors. -Increased understanding of the needs of socio-professional integration of persons with special needs in the Green Farming Sectors and the challenges for a better alignment of training strategies with the specificities of these social groups.-Greater presence of concepts of sustainability in VET and training for persons with special needs.As well as important benefits. In particular:Project partners and other participants will benefit from the exchange of experiences and good practices, the acquisition of knowledge, skills, ideas, methods, etc., that may allow more adapted strategies to the training and socio-professional integration of persons with special needs in the Green Farming Sectors. The project will also indirectly impact, through the enhanced knowledge and skills of trainers and workers involved, the beneficiaries of VET institutions and of organizations training or promoting the socio-professional inclusion of persons with special needs in the Green Farming Sectors.Many of these will remain in the long run, as the skills, knowledge and social capital acquired by project partners and other participants, can be used in their daily practice after the project. This knowledge and skills can also be transmitted to co-workers, or in the context of other partnerships or projects in which they participate

AgriTrain Train the Trainer for a Sustainable AgricultureBuilding upon the experiences made with the earlier project AgriSkills (www.agriskills.eu), this project proposal aims at making trainers more aware of the relevance of sustainability for agriculture. Besides innovative concepts of vocational training for sustainable development, there is a need for stronger emphasis on sustainability in agriculture. It is not planned to produce additional new content, but rather to develop thinking in terms of sustainability as an integral part and underlying theme in vocational and private behavior alike.The aim and focus of our project is the implementation of learning for sustainable development in the training of vocational instructors (teachers at vocational schools and company in-house trainers) in the fields of agriculture, horticulture and related areas by the development of curricula on school and company level. Further education programs and a strategy for broad dissemination shall also lead to advanced and ongoing discussions on the implementation of “Vocational Education and Training for Sustainable Development” (VETSD) in educational structures.For this purpose, special programs for further education will be created. They will be available for teachers and trainers on an individual basis thus strengthening the learning place cooperation between schools and company in-house training.A guideline VETSD for both, participants and as a basis for a wider qualified discussion at structural level on VETSD is planned.The dissemination of results is achieved by various multiplier events as well as by the associated partners. The results will be available on the project website www.agri-train.eu and on the websites of the partner organizations.In the preparatory phase training and continuing education for in-school and in-company trainers in the partner countries are analysed, in particular with respect to the embedding of aspects of sustainability. In the implementation phase this demand analysis also serves as an orientation aid for ranking curricula according to European standards (EQF).In a strategic partnership with universities and colleges, a chamber of Agriculture, Workers Union affiliated Educational Institution, a company the following two intellectual outputs will be generated:I.O. 1 – Curriculum – Training for Trainer in the Field of Sustainable DevelopmentExemplary development of three modules of further-education for trainer with the following topical foci:• soil science• water management• health and safetyAll three modules are to meet “VSTD” criteria and will be developed along the lines of “regular” curricular teaching content.The modules will include the development of employability skills, will employ a set of diverse teaching and learning methods, and will make extensive use of state-of-the art information and communication technologies.Agriculture is very much shaped by European regulations. The impacts of these regulations have to be integrated into education and training. For this purpose, innovative approaches will be developed in cooperation with the partners.I.O. 2 – Guideline for Vocational Training in the Area of Sustainable DevelopmentGuidelines are to be developed in order to facilitate the comprehensive dissemination of (VETSD) educational materials and intentions. The guideline is based on the development of a strategic vision on VETSD within the project. This vision of VETSD is to reflect and delineate the contentual positioning of sustainable development and agriculture and will also be the basis of a checklist that provides orientation concerning the integration of aspects of sustainability in teaching- and learning materials in the project. The guidelines are intended for school and in-house instructors and for the dissemination of VETSD among the stakeholders.TrainingsThe modules of continuing education and the guideline will be tested trans-nationally in short-term training modules. The tests will be evaluated and the data and insights provide a basis for final revision of curricula.Target-groupsInstructors (in-house and school) from the fields of agriculture, horticulture and related sectors.Trainees in the fields of agriculture and related vocational areas, who participate in further education programmes.Dissemination strategyThe various multiplier events will generate new aspects (training of trainers, European context) to enhance the discussions about VETSD at the systemic level. In cooperation with national and European social partners, it is intended to influence training regulations and programmes in the long term.The results of the project will be published electronically /print-media.In addition, results will be disseminated:• on local level by offering educational modules• on regional and national level by discussions and events and• on European level by all the discussions in the committees the social partners are part of

The aim of greenGain is to strengthen the energy use of regional and local biomass from the maintenance of areas and landscape elements, which is performed in the public interest. The scope of the biomass used, will be any material predominantly produced from nature conservation and landscape management, but not from energy-crops. The main target groups are regional and local players, who are responsible for maintenance and conservation work and for the biomass residue management in their regions. Moreover, the focus will be on service providers - including farmers and forest owners, their associations, NGOs and energy providers and consumers. The project will show strategies to build up reliable knowledge on local availability of these feedstocks and know-how on issues from logistics to storage and sustainable conversion pathways for the transformation of these feedstocks to renewable energy (heat and energy products). Furthermore political, legal and environmental aspects will be addressed in model regions. Awareness raising, governance and public acceptance actions will be focussed on. General guidelines will be prepared to guarantee a wide dissemination to other regions in the EU. The regional partners will be actively supported by Technical Partners for the project measures’ development and implementation. As a CSA, the project focal point will be the exchange between the model regions and other similar relevant players in the EU, by good practice exchange, a topic-specific website, several workshops and educational site visits in different regions as well as other standard public relations activities. The project team is carefully balanced between technical and scientific organisations and local demand side oriented players. Regions in northern Europe with a wide knowledge in this field are cooperating with European (south-west, middle, east) regions, having an untapped potential, that can be accessed through efficient knowledge transfer.

Extensive livestock exploitation models are crucial for the sustainable maintenance of important rural areas in Europe. These models are the paradigm of ecological, social and economic sustainability. These models fight against depopulation in rural areas and have a positive impact in animal wellbeing and human health compared to other non-extensive models. These models supply consumers with quality foodl products in many EU territories and promote the sustainable development of our society. The future of such livestock exploitation models, currently under threat due to the effects of climate change and administrative barriers (droughts, animal health problems, increase in parasites, administrative limitations for transhumance, etc...) depends on the availability and capacity of extensive Shepherds. But the problem is that it is increasingly difficult to find well trained shepherds that have the knowledge and experience to face all the aspects involved in extensive livestock shepherding. Shepherds are an ageing social group, the younger ones lack proper training, education and experience and nowadays there is no motivation to become a shepherd due to the low social standing and lack of a specific professional training offer and The shepherds – key actors and basis for extensive livestock – carry out innumerable functions in rural, disadvantaged and under populated areas.Although they are an important element in rural societies, shepherds lack social recognition, and they don’t have access in many cases to a well-structured, methodical and validated training for the sustainable management of extensive exploitations. The project idea arises after a need analysis of the current situation, being the most important problems, among others:•Difficulties to find professional shepherds; •Lack of more structured and updated training and education offers adapted to current needs and threats, as well as adapted flexible training tools for current or future Shepherds.•Lack of motivation to become a shepherd; EU4SHEPHERDS seeks to improve and update the training offer for extensive shepherds taking into account current barriers (administrative mainly…) threads (new climate scenario and its consequences) and opportunities (ecological production trends, agro tourism, etc…) to ensure a sustainable maintenance of extensive livestock exploitations (economical, social and environmental) giving them tools to become resilient. The project will adapt the training methods (both for trainers and trainees) for a work-based learning taking into consideration current barriers and logistical problems for extensive shepherds (many of them are distributed along rural isolated areas) in order to ensure the sustainability of the profession and of extensive livestock exploitations. Furthermore, the project will provide a training platform designed for extensive shepherds (not used to complicated interfaces or texts) and will promote the use of digital tools for training.These objectives will be satisfied with the development of three IOs (New curricula for professional shepherds; New flexible training methodology for trainers; New on-line adapted training platform for extensive shepherds)Although Shepherds are the main objective of the project, we can say that trainers involved in the training of extensive shepherds are the key element for making possible the needed change in the training of professional shepherds, and therefore, trainers are the main target group of key project actions (IOs and training workshops).This project faces a common problem of many rural European areas, especially in countries where extensive livestock models have an important presence and effect in local societies. Most part of these countries are represented in this project. The EU4Shepherds partners represent all actors needed to develop the project efficiently and to implement the results successfully, giving special importance to the link between VET entities and the needs of extensive livestock exploitations, in order to include the necessary curricula and methodologies for trainers to implement in a further phase a certifiable shepherd training course.